Birth characteristics and risk of colorectal cancer

There is still controversy over the association between newborns with different birth characteristics and colorectal cancer (CRC) in adulthood. We plan to use systematic reviews and meta-analysis to elucidate this relationship.

Pubmed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Medline databases were searched for published literature on the impact of birth characteristics on the incidence of CRC until Feb 2024, 1065 articles were included in total and necessary data were extracted for systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Ten studies from multiple countries or regions were included. Compared with normal weight, the prevalence of adult CRC in infants with high birth weight (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.92-1.06) and low birth weight (OR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.89-1.03) did not increase significantly. Infants for every 1 kg increase in birth weight, the incidence of adult CRC increases by 3% (95%CI: -1-8%). For male infants, shorter body length (OR = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.0-3.7) and lighter weight of the placenta (OR = 1.6, 95%CI: 1.0-2.7) indicates that fetal growth restriction is a risk factor for the onset of colorectal cancer. Further epidemiological investigations are needed to verify the association between other birth characteristics and the incidence of colorectal cancer.

Babies with abnormal birth length, placental weight, and maternal age often suggest growth restriction, which is related to the incidence of adult CRC.